The NTT IndyCar Series will make its first trip to an oval this season, and Tony Kanaan will be among drivers making their 2021 debuts with new teams on the entry lists for the doubleheader race weekend schedule at Texas Motor Speedway.
In both races Saturday and Sunday, Kanaan will take the wheel of the No. 48 Dallara-Honda that Jimmie Johnson drove in the first two races this season for Chip Ganassi Racing. Pietro Fittipaldi will be in the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing entry that primarily is driven by F1 veteran Romain Grosjean.
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, the third member of the 2021 rookie class with Johnson and Grosjean, will make his oval debut in the NTT IndyCar Series at Texas, which will play host to races Saturday and Sunday.
TEXAS ENTRY LISTS: Genesys 300 l XPEL 375
Conor Daly also is in the 24-driver field, moving from Ed Carpenter Racing to Carlin Racing’s No. 59 Dallara-Chevrolet. Carpenter will make his season debut as the owner-driver of the No. 21.
Very excited to keep the full season dream alive this weekend with my friends @CarlinRacing ! We had such a great race together last year at one of my favorite tracks @TXMotorSpeedway I can’t wait to get back up on the high banks in the #59 pic.twitter.com/o3oOk9Xhsw
— Conor Daly (@ConorDaly22) April 26, 2021
Daly finished a season-best sixth for Carlin in the June 6, 2020 season opener at Texas (which held the race without fans).
“Obviously, I’m very excited and thankful to be back with Carlin for this weekend,” Daly said in a release. “It’s a package with which we’ve accomplished a lot together in a short amount of time and I’m excited to get back to work with the guys.”
The 2021 IndyCar entry lists for the Genesys 300 and Xpel 375 are the same aside from a few teams switching sponsors on the Texas schedule. Click here for the Genesys 300 Saturday, and click here for the XPEL 375 Sunday.
START TIMES AND TV INFO FOR GENESYS 300/XPEL 375 AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY (all times ET):
Saturday
12:30 p.m.-12:40 p.m.: NTT IndyCar Series pit speed limiter practice (two groups/five minutes each)
12:45 p.m.-2 p.m.: IndyCar practice, Peacock Premium
4-5 p.m.: IndyCar qualifying (single car, two laps: Lap 1/Genesys 300; Lap 2/XPEL 375), Peacock Premium
7 p.m.: Genesys 300 (212 laps, 318 miles), NBCSN
Sunday
5 p.m.: XPEL 375 (248 laps, 372 miles), NBCSN